So, your dentist has decided that your wisdom teeth have had to be pulled out. While significant progress has been made to lessen the discomfort caused by the extraction of wisdom teeth, it is hardly ever a pleasant experience. But the recovery from the surgery shouldn’t be as terrible as everyone says it is.

Here are 9 Do’s and Don’t’s to observe while recovering from wisdom teeth extraction Scottsdale to make your recuperation as comfortable and complication-free as possible:

1. Do always keep your head above your heart.
The cavities left by the extraction of wisdom teeth are pretty deep ones, and for this reason, they sometimes tend to bleed profusely. To keep the amount of bleeding to a minimum, always make sure to keep your head above the level of your heart. When sleeping, make sure that you have enough pillows under your head to achieve the desired height. This is so that your blood pressure will not cause unnecessary bleeding to occur. Some bleeding less than 24 hours after surgery is normal, but if bleeding is experienced after that, something may be wrong. Call your dentist if this is the case.

2. Do bite gently on a piece of gauze pad to apply mild pressure on the wound.
Like any other deep wound, direct pressure will prevent unnecessary bleeding from the extraction of wisdom teeth. Replace the gauze whenever they are soaked with blood. Do this only until bleeding is still significant. After that, the wound should be left so that blood can begin to clot over the wound.

3. Do apply ice for the first 24 hours, then a warm pack for 2 or 3 days after that.
Ice decreases swelling, which is likely to occur in the period after surgery. After that, warmth encourages healthy blood flow that aids in healing. Remember, however, that both the ice pack and the warm pack should be placed only on the outer cheek, not inside the mouth.

4. Don’t do strenuous physical activity until you have sufficiently recovered.
The goal is to control blood pressure to the recovering wound. If you do strenuous physical activity, or experience a significant amount of stress, your blood pressure will increase, in turn, increasing the possibility of a greater amount of bleeding from the wound left by wisdom teeth extraction. The strenuous physical activity can wait until after your recovery. In the meantime, relax.

5. Do eat soft foods until you are ready to gradually take in solids.
In the same way that you shouldn’t scratch a wounded knee, you also shouldn’t unnecessarily disturb a wound from wisdom teeth extraction. This is what eating solids too early in the recovery period may do. Instead, resort to soup, pudding, or jello while you are recovering. Then, gradually try out soft solids like mashed potatoes and soft fruit.

6. Don’t poke the wound with your tongue.
It might be tempting to do this to check how the healing of the wound is progressing, but similar to the reason for #5, you shouldn’t unnecessarily disturb the wound from wisdom teeth extraction. The wound will heal. Let it be.

7. Don’t use a straw.
Using a straw involves sucking, which could loosen clotted blood over the wound. This will delay recovery.

8. Don’t smoke.
Smoking involves the same sucking action as using a straw and also causes a negative type of drying effect that decreases the supply of blood to the wound, which is needed for recovery.

9. Do rinse the wound with salt water.
Rinsing the wounds from the wisdom tooth extraction Scottsdale with a solution of a teaspoon of salt and a standard glass of water will help keep the wound clean. This rinsing can be done several times a day.